East Bay Monthlys
Fifth Annual Cover Contest is proud to showcase Distorted Tiger, by Lillian Nelson. In addition to displaying Nelsons pastel we have
also included submissions of two very talented second- and third-place
winners: Untitled by Olivia Fu and Carbone by Haley Ward,
as well the honorable mention winners and a few other interesting pieces.
This year we received more than 60 submissions from students ranging from
sixth through eleventh grade.

Local artist
Bert Monroy will present awards to the three top and seven honorable mention
winners on Thursday, September 22 at Amsterdam Art, 1013 University Avenue,
Berkeley. Reception begins at 6 p.m. with light refreshments provided
by Bubis Catering and Cafe. Awards will be presented at 6:30. For
information contact Jennifer Rogers at (510) 658-9811.

The Monthly
and Amsterdam Art, co-sponsor for the past two years, are proud to use
the magazines celebrated cover space to feature the work of talented
local youth. We want to also express our appreciation for the dedicated
parents and talented art teachers in our local schools and art programs.
Without their creativity and hard work, many of these budding artists
might not have tried their hands at painting, collage, or sketching. We
thank them for supporting their students and our contest every year.

One of our
past winners, Naomi Drexler, whose pastel and watercolor piece Eyes
of Sorrow was featured on our September 2004 cover, went on to win
the prestigious Congressional Art Competition representing U.S. Rep. Barbara
Lees Ninth District. Drexlers painting hangs with more than
400 other pieces by high school artists in the tunnel that connects the
Senate to the House of Representatives. Entering her senior year at Berkeley
High, Drexler, 17, will work as a teachers assistant in the Advanced
Placement art class next year.

The past four
years contest winners will be added to our website in the future.
Please make sure to check back and see the wealth of creativity we have
in the East Bay.

For more information
contact the Contest Founder/Director: Jennifer Rogers at (510) 658-9811

The
Winners

First-place
winner Lillian Nelson, 16, comes from a family that appreciates
art. The youngest of four children, Nelson has studied visual art in school
since middle school. Her brother and older sisters did too, she says.
"Ive jumped on the bandwagon."

But Nelson,
who will begin her junior year at Piedmont High School this month, is
hardly a young woman to dedicate herself to something if she doesnt
really want to. While art is one of her biggest interests, Nelson spends
four hours a day, five days a week practicing gymnastics.

"Its
a really big part of my life," she says. "I feel more focused
and organized because I dont have a lot of time for everything else."

At this point
Nelson isnt sure whether shell pursue gymnastics in college
(her coachs goal for her is that she get a gymnastics scholarship).
But shes committed to continuing both lovesgymnastics and
artthrough high school.

The winning
piece, Distorted Tiger, is Nelsons favorite of her own work. Its
made with pastel, which Nelson likes because she can control it better
than paint.

"I cant
do people really well but I can do animals," she says. "I like
the challenge."

Second-place
winner Olivia Fu likes to give her realistic paintings a little
twistmake the colors a bit brighter than they appeared to her eyebut
her skill for capturing the perspective and scale of a landscape caught
our judges eye.

This acrylic
landscape, which is untitled, is one of many Fu has made recently. Among
her favorites of her own works are the landscapes and still lifes. Some
of those still lifes are the traditional fruit in a basket, but her number
one favorite is of a hamburger. Another she is fond of is of an electric
chair onstage in front of a movie theater, for the statement it makes
about public executions.

"I really
like expressing the way I feel through my art," says the Piedmont
High junior. "Im not abstract. I like realistic things and
making things look the way I see them."

When third-place
winner Haley Wards mom suggested she enter a piece of artwork
into The Monthlys cover contest, Ward made a casual mental
note of it. But when her art teacher at school made the same suggestion,
she sat up and took notice.

In the end
she submitted her favorite work so far: a portrait of that very same art
teacher, Karen Carbone, painted with acrylics from a freehand drawing,
and then dipping the piece in India ink. The ink goes only where there
is no paint and creates a smoky texture.

"I like
this one a lot," Ward says. "Its really abstract and looks
kind of antique." This piece was also Wards first try at abstraction,
having made several more realistic portraits already, including one of
herself and a friend as children dressed in cowgirl outfits.

At home Ward
likes to sketch in pencil. She also pitches for a local softball team
and traveled through the state this summer playing other intramural teams.